Health Secretary Neil Gray @neilcgray has welcomed the start of the new chickenpox routine childhood vaccination programme and encouraged parents or carers to take up this offer when called to appointments to give their children the very best protection.
Following a detailed review by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the UK’s independent expert group on vaccines, Public Health Scotland (PHS) has been working with the Scottish Government and colleagues across NHS Boards to make some changes to Scotland’s childhood vaccination programme.
The changes, which began in July 2025, are based on the latest scientific evidence and are designed to ensure that children continue to have the best possible protection from vaccine-preventable diseases.
From January 2026, children will be offered a varicella (chickenpox) vaccine as part of the routine childhood schedule for the first time in Scotland.
JCVI’s recommendation is to offer a two-dose programme offering vaccination at 12 and 18 months of age, using the combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine.
Varicella vaccines have been seen to dramatically decrease the number of cases of chickenpox seen in childhood when used in other countries.
Dr Daniel Chandler, Consultant in Public Health Medicine at PHS said: “Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease. While most cases of chickenpox in children are relatively mild, many children are unwell for several days and have to miss school or nursery as a result.
“In some cases, chickenpox can be more severe and can lead to hospitalisations from serious secondary infections or other complications.
“The offer of the varicella vaccine is a welcome new addition to the routine childhood schedule and, as well as reducing the number of cases, will prevent more severe cases of chickenpox.”
Vaccination programmes are regularly reviewed to make sure that all children are offered the best protection against preventable diseases.
As new vaccines become available, or research shows that giving existing vaccines at different times improves protection, the programme will be changed.
Parents and carers will receive appointment invitations from local NHS immunisation teams and are encouraged to look out for them and bring their children for vaccination as scheduled.
A new £2 million pilot in England will see health visitors reach families facing barriers to vaccines, to ensure more children are protected
Government to bring vaccines to doorsteps of families who can’t make it to the doctor
New pilot will reach families facing barriers like travel costs, language difficulties or vaccine hesitancy
£2 million pilot aims to close gap in healthcare inequalities
Health visiting teams will offer vaccinations to children, providing a vital safety net for families who might otherwise miss out.
The new pilot targets families who’ve fallen through the cracks – including those not signed up with a GP, struggling with travel costs, childcare juggling, language barriers or other tough circumstances that stop them getting to the doctor.
By offering vaccinations during routine health visits, the pilot removes these obstacles and ensures more children can access life-saving protection.
Health visitors are specialist public health nurses who support families with children under five. They provide advice on healthy child development, feeding, and family health through regular home visits and clinic appointments.
The twelve pilot schemes will roll out from mid-January across five regions of England – London, the Midlands, North East & Yorkshire, North West, and South West – designed to boost uptake and protect children from preventable diseases.
While the scheme isn’t designed to replace your GP – families should continue to get vaccinated at their local surgery first – it supports families with children who’d otherwise slip through the net.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Every parent deserves the chance to protect their child from preventable diseases, but some families have a lot going on and that can mean they miss out.
“Health visitors are already trusted faces in communities across the country. By allowing them to offer vaccinations, we’re using the relationships and expertise that already exist to reach families who need support most.
“Fixing the NHS means tackling health inequalities head-on. By meeting families where they are, we’re not just boosting vaccination rates – we’re building a health service that works for everyone.”
The year-long trial will be evaluated before rolling it out across the country from 2027.
Health visitors on the pilot will get extra training to tackle tricky conversations with worried parents – including those who have doubts about vaccination – and to give vaccinations safely.
Struggling families will be identified by the NHS using GP records, health visitor notes and local databases.
The pilots form part of the commitment to ramp up vaccination programmes, with over 18 million flu vaccines delivered this autumn – hundreds of thousands more compared to this time last year – and over 60,000 more NHS staff also getting their jab.
The Westminster government is also investing in better digital services to help families track their child’s health and vaccinations. Through the new NHS App, parents will be able to monitor their children’s health using My Children – a 21st century digital alternative to the Red Book.
The pilot builds on the government’s commitment to Family Hubs and Start for Life programmes, which provide vital support for families during pregnancy and the early years of a child’s life, including health visiting services and parenting support.
From 2 January 2026, children will receive the new MMRV vaccine, protecting against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox in one vaccine. This replaces the current MMR vaccine, and offers protection against chickenpox for the first time while making vaccination simpler for families.
The UK government’s ‘Stay Strong. Get Vaccinated’ campaign also runs throughout the year to promote confidence in vaccination.
“One old battered brown box was my life story of residential care – that was all I was worth.”
Survey reveals nine in 10 people left with questions or concerns after receiving their care records.
ICO launches ‘Better Records Together’ campaign with new resources to support both people with care experience and the organisations handling their records.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called for further improvements across local authorities in Scotland after warning that many people trying to access their own care records are being let down.
Research from the ICO found that people are facing systemic and demoralising challenges when it comes to their care records.
Over two thirds (71%) of people struggled with poor communication from the local authority and 69% said the process took longer than expected – with one person still waiting sixteen years later.
When care records were received, over half (59%) did not receive enough information and nearly nine in 10 (87%) were left with questions or concerns.
John Edwards, Information Commissioner, said: “This is so much more than a request for personal information. These are people fighting to access their own biography – their own identity – that is in the custody of an organisation.
“It is a brave and emotional step, especially from people who have already been let down by the care system in Scotland. But these requests are too often met with cold bureaucracy, long delays and pages of unexplained redactions, which can have devastating consequences.
“This current picture is unacceptable – but there are many people who play a role in creating better records and better access. As the data protection regulator, we can bring clarity to how these roles work together to thread people’s stories.
“We can build a clear pathway by ensuring everyone has the tools they need – equipping organisations with the certainty and skills to handle requests with care and compassion, and empowering people with the confidence and support to advocate for their own rights.
“Real change must come from the top – so today I am calling on local authority leaders across Scotland to take action. We know frontline staff want to get this right but are struggling with lack of resource and guidance. Improving this process starts at the beginning – when a child enters the care system, their information should be recorded with their rights in mind, knowing that they may request it later. This will reduce the administrative burden and keep the person at the very heart of the process, so future generations do not face the same struggle.”
Jackie McCartney, care experienced campaigner and Ambassador for the Rees Foundation, said: “I can remember the social worker arriving with my care records – she carried one old battered brown box. That was all I was worth. That box was my life story of residential care, with sixteen years of my life inside.
“She told me not to worry – ‘there’s not a lot in there’ – but I wanted to talk to her. Because this total stranger knew more about my life than I did. She had read my story before I had, and decided what I could or could not see. These were my puzzle pieces of how and why I had become a child in care.
“I opened my box and looked inside. I can still feel the pain and disappointment. My records were not even in date order, with whole years of my life missing and no medical records. There were so many blank pages with nothing on, and so much information redacted.
“The whole process must have more compassion and care. I want organisations to see this is more than data, files and words on a page – this is real people’s lives and stories.”
John-george Nicholson said: “We understand who we are through stories. The ones we tell ourselves and the ones others think and write about us. Growing up in care, the state became my storyteller, taking on the role most people’s families play. My files hold many of those stories, yet for years they seemed to forget who I was.
“I first accessed my records at 22 – 126 pages. Almost 25 years later, I asked again and received more than 800. They are tough and often traumatic to read (when I first received them in the post, they came without warning), but they are also a kind of treasure chest: fragments of memory, windows into a past I’d tried to forget. At first, they broke me. But over time, they became maps, continually changing as I age – helping me understand, make sense of the damage, navigate the past and future, and see that it wasn’t my fault. I was just a kid in a broken system.
“But the system is still broken, and record-keeping is a critical element of this – our storytelling. Too often the whole child is lost in forms and reports, their voice minimised or unheard. That has to change. Every child in care deserves records that see them, protect them, and help them heal and thrive.”
Better Records Together
The ICO has launched its ‘Better Records Together’ campaign by publishing a suite of practical resources to help tackle the current issues. The campaign includes:
new standards for organisations providing clarity on how to handle requests with care, as well as good practice measures to better support people from the moment they enter the care system.
clear advice for people requesting their records to help them to navigate the process and access support.
UK-wide supervision pilot running across 2025/26, monitoring the performance of 19 organisations to drive improvements.
In a letter sent to senior leaders, the Information Commissioner has made clear that if improvements are not made, organisations may face regulatory action.
The ICO has been proactively engaging with all 32 local authorities in Scotland after receiving complaints of long delays when care records were requested. Many local authorities have seen increases in requests over the last few years in relation to Scotland’s Redress Scheme, where people who suffered abuse while in care can apply for redress using supporting documents such as care records.
Some improvements have already been made across many local authorities in Scotland following the ICO’s engagement, but these must be sustained and further improvements made.
The regulator is working with charities, advocacy groups and other third parties to ensure their support reaches those who need them most.
Nicola Killean, Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, said: “The Information Commissioner’s Office’s campaign to support improved access to records by people with care experience is an important one. It is vital that children with care experience have access to their own records, in a way that is straightforward and easy for them to navigate.
“Children who have care experience have the same rights as every other child under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), but they also have extra safeguards. If a child can’t live with their family, this includes having the right to special protection and help.
“Care experienced children and young people have been clear over many years about the importance of proper recording of their time in care. It can help them come to terms with their experience, understand why decisions may have been made, and give them a sense of agency over their own lives. It supports children’s rights to identity, rights to a fair hearing and due process, and rights to respect for private and family life.”
Flora Henderson, Director, In Care Survivors Alliance, said: “In Care Survivors Alliance is heartened to see the publication of Information Commissioner’s Office latest guidance around care records.
This work is vital work in ensuring that people who are care experienced can access their records in a timely, supported and transparent way. We are aware how difficult information access requests can be for individuals, especially when lack of support can create a significant negative impact.
“As such, ICO’s guidance is of considerable value. We encourage all those who hold, create or respond to requests for care records to join the collective effort in empowering people to exercise their rights and access their records.”
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children First, said: “Children First supports the ‘Better Records Together’ campaign because people must be able to understand their past in a way that feels meaningful.
“For many care experienced people records are the only way to fill the gaps in their history and make sense of who they are. That’s why we prioritise recording children and families’ hopes and dreams, as well as meetings and support.
“We make sure that our historical records are as easy to access as possible. Records aren’t just paperwork, they are the threads that weave together the story of your life.”
A spokesperson for Who Cares? Scotland, said: “We welcome the Better Records Together project and are excited for the improvements to accessing records for Care Experienced people it will bring.
“We often hear from our members about the difficult and sometimes traumatic experience it can be to get access to their records and then read them. That’s why we’re proud to support the Information Commissioner’s Office with this new phase of their project.”
Visit the ICO’s Better Records Together webpage to access the resources and find out more about its work to support both people with care experience and the organisations that handle their records.
Two Hibernian Women players have helped bring festive cheer to local families this Christmas, donating Santa Surprise Boxes to a Scottish charity on behalf of baby brand Nuby.
Lauren Doran-Barr and Tegan Bowie donated 15 Nuby ‘Santa Surprise Boxes’ to Circle, a charity that supports children and families across Scotland who are facing challenging circumstances.
The festive boxes were hand delivered to the Circle head offices, and are designed to bring joy to young children during the Christmas period, helping to ease pressure on families at what can be a particularly difficult time of year.
Circle works closely with families to improve outcomes for children, offering practical, emotional and relationship-based support to help build stronger, safer and more resilient family lives.
The donation forms part of Nuby’s commitment to supporting families beyond its products, using its partnerships to give back to local communities and make a positive difference where it is most needed.
James Watson, head of marketing at Nuby, said, “Christmas should be a joyful time for every child, but we know that isn’t always the reality for families facing difficult circumstances.
“These Santa Surprise Boxes are a small way for us to help spread some festive cheer, and we’re proud to support Circle and the vital work they do for families across Scotland. Working alongside Hibs players Lauren and Tegan to deliver this donation makes the initiative even more meaningful.”
The visit also reflects Nuby’s wider partnership with Hibernian Women, which focuses on supporting family-centred causes and creating positive community impact through women’s football.
Andrew Morrison, commercial partnerships executive at Hibernian Football Club, said: “We’re proud to see our players supporting initiatives that make a genuine difference in the local community.
“Partnerships like this with Nuby allow us to use the platform of women’s football to support families and charities doing vital work, and it’s fantastic to see Lauren and Tegan playing such an active role.”
Lauren Doran-Barr and Tegan Bowie said they were delighted to be involved in the donation and to help make Christmas a little brighter for children supported by Circle.
Top tips for avoiding festive conflict from leading relationship support charity
The festive period is supposed to be full of goodwill and kindness, but what happens when it stops being merry? For many, Christmas can be extremely fraught, often resulting in conflict, with stress, financial worries and the pressures of expectation creating strain on relationships.
Relationships Scotland, the largest provider of relationship support in the country, is offering advice to families and couples looking for a more peaceful Christmas. They say communication is key but don’t be afraid to seek help if everything becomes too much.
Stuart Valentine, Chief Executive of Relationships Scotlandsaid: “Many people are at risk of setting high expectations of what Christmas should be like, but sadly for some the reality is far from magical.
“Financial pressure is one of the biggest sources of stress at this time of year, and this can very quickly manifest itself into conflict and relationship turmoil.
“Our advice to families this Christmas is to focus on spending good quality time with your loved ones and don’t get into debt in the hope of having the perfect Christmas. If things do get too much, always remember that support is available, with relationship counselling and family mediation available across the country.”
Relationships Scotland is offering some top tips to look after your mental health during the festive period:
Set boundaries with family
There can be a lot of pressure to see every member of your family at Christmas time. However, it is important to set boundaries to ensure you have a happy Christmas. If you only feel comfortable spending 30 minutes with your parents or in-laws, set that boundary and stick to it.
Don’t compare yourself to social media
It is so easy to see Christmas content on social media platforms and feel overwhelmed by these expectations.
Extravagant door decorations, festive tablescapes can be beautiful but these are costly and unnecessary. When you look back at your Christmas memories, it is not the decorations you remember, it’s the fun and laughter.
Do what feels right for you
Christmas can be anything you want it to be. Although the traditional turkey and all the trimmings is lovely, cooking can be a stressful experience and not to everyone’s taste.
Why not do something out of the norm that makes you happy? Chuck some pizzas in the oven, order a Chinese takeaway, or graze on a cheeseboard.
Relationships Scotland’s unique network of 21 Member Services operates in communities all over Scotland, from the Borders to Shetland and the Western Isles, ensuring it is able to meet the needs of families across the country.
It provides high quality, specialist support services, working with children, young people, couples, individuals and families to help reduce conflict, improve communication and ensure that people are supported to manage times of relationship crisis and breakdown.
CHILD POVERTY ACTION GROUP’S ANNUAL COST of a CHILD REPORT
CPAG’s annual Cost of a Child report looks at how much it costs families to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children.
It is calculated using the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) research, carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The cost of raising a child to age 18 is £250,000 for a couple and £290,000 for a lone parent.
An inadequate social security system means many families, including some working full time, do not have enough income to cover the cost of a minimum standard of living.
A lone parent with two children working full-time on the minimum wage can only cover 79 per cent of these costs, while a similar couple can only cover 90 per cent. The same families across the rest of the UK can cover 69 percent, and 82 percent, respectively.
An out-of-work lone parent with two children only has enough income to cover 55 per cent of costs (46 per cent for a couple). The same families across the rest of the UK can cover 44 percent, and 37 percent, respectively.
Scotland specific policies (most notably the Scottish child payment) help families but still many families are struggling to meet their minimum costs.
Proposals to provide consistent and fair support for families caring for children unable to live with their parents have been published.
Kinship care – where a child lives with a relative, close family friend or other trusted person rather than their parents – is now the most common placement away from home for looked-after children in Scotland, accounting for 35% of such placements.
Views on a draft Vision for Kinship Care will be sought from organisations and individuals in a public consultation launched today.
The draft Vision sets out a consistent baseline of support, proposed for all kinship families across Scotland. It focuses on improving accessibility and transparency around financial support, strengthening advice and advocacy services, and ensuring children in kinship care can access independent advocacy support, while allowing local partners to tailor delivery to families’ needs.
Kinship carers, children and young people helped shape the draft Vision as part of the Scottish Government’s work on ‘The Promise’ – which commits to ensure that all care-experienced young people grow up loved, safe and respected by 2030.
The consultation on the draft Vision will be open until the end of February 2026.
Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “Kinship carers make an extraordinary contribution to our society, often stepping in at a moment’s notice to provide care and stability for children within their family network.
“Their contribution is vital to wider efforts to keep The Promise, and they deserve our recognition and support.
“Kinship families face numerous complex challenges, including financial pressures, and it is crucial that they are able to access the right help when they need it.
“Through our draft Vision for Kinship Care, we want to work with kinship families and partners to shape a system of support that is fair, consistent and grounded in children’s rights, aligned with our commitment to Keep The Promise and tackle child poverty.
“This Vision builds on the Scottish Government’s previous work to update kinship care guidance and roll out the Scottish Recommended Allowance, further strengthening the rights of kinship families.
“I encourage everyone with an interest in kinship care to share their views and help us shape a final vision that delivers real improvements for children and families.”
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity said:“The draft Vision for Kinship Care is an important step in recognising the scale of support needed for kinship families to thrive and upholding every child’s right to family life.
“We welcome the Minister’s commitment to ensuring that kinship children and their families have all the easily accessible, tailored practical, emotional, financial and legal advocacy and support they need to stay safe and well together.
“As providers of the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland, we are determined to help every kinship family to succeed. Families can contact our friendly, expert team every day of the year by calling 0808 800 0006 for free or by visiting www.kinship.scot.”
Joanne McMeeking, Head Improving Care Experiences, CELCIS, said: “Kinship care is at the heart of families and communities, enabling children to stay connected and feel loved.
“The Scottish Government’s ambition with this proposed vision for kinship care in Scotland, acknowledges the unique challenges for kinship carers and their families and is both timely and essential.
“By focusing on widening access to support, with sufficient resources and a realistic deliverable plan, the proposed vision has the potential to improve the experience of kinship families.
“This would resonate with Scotland’s commitments to both The Promise of the independent care review and upholding children’s rights. We look forward to working with others on the development of the vision.”
Last December, NSPCC’s Helpline service received almost 5,400 contacts from an adult with concerns for a child. Of these, three quarters were about abuse.
The charity is reminding adults and young people that their Helpline and Childline services are here for them right through the festive period.
The Childline Christmas campaign continues to highlight how the next few weeks can be the most dangerous time of year for some children.
The NSPCC will be responding to thousands of child protection concerns during the Christmas countdown and right through the festive period.
Last December the charity’s Helpline received 5,384 contacts from an adult with concerns about a child, with three quarters of these being about emotional, physical and sexual abuse (including online) and neglect.
Around a third of these contacts came from parents or carers and a fifth from neighbours and members of the community.
The Helpline was just as busy across the 12 Days of Christmas – December 24 to January 4 – dealing with almost 2,000 child welfare contacts sent via email and shared over the phone.
One in six (17%) of contacts over the 12 Days of Christmas were deemed so serious that NSPCC practitioners made referrals to the local authorities or emergency services for further attention and action.
A carer told the NSPCC Helpline: “I’m calling about the family next door. It’s just the parents and their child who’s around 3 or 4. I can hear them shouting and screaming such awful things at the child, and at each other, pretty much every day.
“It seems like it’s been getting worse over Christmas. This is no place to raise a child. Is there anything you can do to help?”
The NSPCC Helpline is a dedicated service which helps adults with concerns about children. These can be related to a child’s safety and wellbeing or for adults seeking guidance and support on issues that affect young people.
Child protection specialists are on hand to advise and can, if necessary, refer the concern to a different organisation. The Helpline will be open to provide help and support across the festive period.
Children are also directly contacting the charity through Childline about a range of issues, with the NSPCC-service delivering over 2,700 counselling sessions related to abuse across the winter period.
A child, aged 13 told Childline: “I’m scared of visiting my mum on Christmas. She and her sisters call me names and yell at me.
“They told me I won’t get any presents because of how I behaved this year, but all my siblings will. It’s so unfair!”
In response the NSPCC is running a hard-hitting campaign shining a light on how, for some children, Christmas is the most dangerous time of year. The campaign advert, now showing on TV and running across radio, is inspired by the true story of a woman who was abused by her father.
Lived Experience Advocate, Sarah,who inspired the Christmas advert, said: “Christmas Day used to be so special to me, I used to love dressing up in nice dresses and jewellery, then one day I never wanted to dress up again as my father assaulted me while wearing a new skirt.
“He would use the festive period as another way to exert power over me and manipulate me. He would make me ‘earn’ my presents each year, which he often ended up selling when he ran out of money.
“I was nine when I first called Childline to disclose my abuse and ended up speaking to a wonderful counsellor who made me feel listened to and safe These conversations encouraged me to seek further support and, eventually, my father was convicted of his crimes against me.
“This Christmas, I would urge every child to speak out if something doesn’t feel right. Childline is here for every child who has a concern and they don’t know where to turn to.”
Adeniyi Alade, Service Head for NSPCC headlines in Scotland, said: “Christmas should be a time of joy, but for too many children in Scotland it can be a difficult time.
“Behind the statistics are young people who feel frightened, neglected or unheard — and that’s why Childline is here every day, including throughout the festive period. Whether it’s worries about abuse, bullying or simply feeling alone, our counsellors are ready to listen and support children whenever they need us.
“We know that the pressures families face at this time of year — from financial strain to heightened tensions at home — can make life even harder for children living in unsafe or unhappy situations. By speaking out, children can take the first step towards safety and support, and Childline will always be here to make sure their voices are heard.
“Our Helpline is a place for adults who have concerns over the welfare of a child, but don’t know where to turn to. We have trained experts who know how to handle concerns and when and where to make referrals, giving a child the best chance of being safe and well looked after this Christmas period.”
Kam Thandi, Helpline Director, said:“Our Helpline figures reveal how thousands of adults are reaching out to us with concerns about children’s safety as we move through December and into the festive period.
“We know that Christmas can place extra pressures on people – financial strain, increased alcohol consumption, families spending more time together in close quarters – can all contribute to situations where children are at risk.
“Behind every one of the contacts we receive throughout December is an adult who cared enough to speak up, and in many cases, that call has led to vital interventions to protect a child.
“While the NSPCC Helpline is there for adults, our Childline service is also available to all children to talk about their concerns. Trained counsellors are here 24/7, including throughout the festive period, to listen to young people’s concerns and provide advice.”
This Christmas, Childline is reminding young people that it is there for them 24/7 via the phone on 0800 1111 and online through the 121 chat on theChildline website.
Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or by calling 0808 800 5000.
